jcp@BRL-TGR.ARPA (07/03/84)
From: Joe Pistritto <jcp@BRL-TGR.ARPA> From the July 2nd issue of Aviation Week, this summary of events immediately after the aborted launch of Discovery: All times are T+ times, ie. seconds/minutes after intended launch. 2 sec - "We have an RSLS abort" - Lockheed rep on launch console to NASA 6 sec - "Ground Launch Sequencer safing in progress" - a reference to returning range safety charges to disarmed condition 12 sec - "Verify engine ignition is safe" - Lockheed test director 17 sec - "Break - break - ground launch sequencer shows engine one not shut down" - indicating a possibly runaway engine, which caused several minutes of confusion before it was verified that one had never been ignited, (the sequence aborted before that) 45 sec - "All engines are shut down" - test director 49 sec - "We have a red light on engines two and three in the cockpit, not on one" - Astronaut Hartsfield from Discovery, verifying that one had not ignited. 1 min. 59 sec. - "I think we are okay now, everything looks good, safing is in progress, I think its finished"|y|yyyy|| 2 min. 30 sec. - "Ground launch sequencer safing is complete" 3 min. 30 sec. - A controller radios test director Weinberg "Do you know there is a small flame on tv monitor 58 on the main engines?" (it turned out to be engine #3) -- several minutes of discussion of fires around the vehicle followed, along with several instances where the water deluge system used to suppress the shock of launch was manually turned off and on. Fires continued until 20 min. or so. During this period, an emergceny evacuation of the crew was considered by not initiated. Crew was evacuated at T+40 minutes using the crew access arm and the gantry elevator. Thought someone might like to know... -JCP-